Closure fasteners



R. J. CLAN DER CLOSURE FASTENERS June 8, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 29, 1961 INVENTOR 50LAND J. OLANDER fla -(,9 @MWXM was.

June 1965 R. J. OLANDER 3,188,128

CLOSURE FASTENERS Filed May 29, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 figJO.

INVENTOR ROLAND J OLANDER United States Patent 3,188,12d (ILQSURE FAEliENERd Roland J. (slander, La Grange, ilk, assignor to W. H.

Miner, Inc, Chicago, iii., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 29, 1961, Ser. No. 113,403

4 Claims. (Cl. 292-240) This invention relates to improvements in closure fasteners and has to do particularly with a novel closure fastener of the type especially adapted for maintaining a relatively large closure in tightly closed position against a frame, for offering support to the frame and for aligning the door into proper closed position.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my earlier filed application, Serial No. 78,016, filed December 23, 1960, for Closure Fastener, now Patent No. 3,147,031, granted September 1, 1964.

The fastener of the present invention is especially suitable for maintaining in closed position a hinged door of the type such as is commonly used on railroad refrigerator cars or highway truck trailers, wherein it is desired that the door he held tightly against the frame or wall to which the door is hinged, and, accordingly, is shown and described in connection with such use, but it will be understood that it is not limited to such use and may be employed in connection with other closures.

Closure fasteners are known wherein a manually actuated rotary operating member is mounted on the door, which member includes keeper-engaging elements on opposite ends thereof co-operating with keepers fixed to the door frame above and below the door. In such constructions the keeper-engaging member is formed as a crank having an offset finger adapted to enter a guideway or slot in the corresponding keeper upon closing movement of the door and to be rotated into locked position, the offset finger of the crank being provided With a fiat locking surface adapted to have flat bearing engagement with a wall of the keeper when the door is closed and the keeper-engaging member is in locked position, to prevent unintended movement of the keeper-engaging member out of door-closed position and to positively hold the door tightly in closed position. i

: Prior designs of the keeper-engaging members, sometimes called cam ends, have employed crank arms and fingers of right-angle construction co-operating with the keepers, the slots of which keepers are formed with opposed parallel sides or walls of the same depth and spacing. During the closing movement of such construction, the finger is in camming engagement with the front wall of the slot while entering the slot and being rotated into locked position, and the door isv forced tightly against its frame, compressing any packing or sealing material which may be between the door and frame. Thus, maximum pressure' is applied to the keeper. During the period of reverse action, that is, while the finger is being Withdrawn from,

' aforesaid movements. Because of such right-angle con- "struction, it is necessary to make the crank arm and finger strong enough to prevent breakage during the period of maximum A pressure application, thus requiring certain minimum dimensions of the cam end and keeper. Large cam ends and keepers are objectionable because of their size and weight and also because of the cost of such large and heavy members.

Theernphasis for some time past has been directed toward constructing and using lighter truck trailers and freight cars. To accomplish this, lighter framing of the doors is desired, but such framing has less rigidity, and the frames distort under operating conditions. Similarly, lighter doors have been used increasingly, which doors cannot serve to strengthen the truck trailer or car body door assembly. With the closure fastener of the present invention, the problem of sufiicient strength with relatively small size of the cam end and keeper and the problem of rigidifying the entire frame structure are solved.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved closure fastenerof the type embodying a keeper adapted to be attached to the wall on which the the closure is mounted and a keeper-engaging member including a crank arm adapted to be mounted on the closure for rotation into and out of locking engagement with the keeper.

Another object is to provide a new and improved closure fastener wherein the keeper and keeper-engaging member are so constructed that the fastener has-increased strength over corresponding members of prior fasteners of the same general type without any increase in over-all size of the keeper. 7

Another object is to provide a new and improved closure fastener of the foregoing type wherein the keeper-engaging member has maximum strength and rigidity for any particular size, and is of such shape that it can be readily and inexpensively manufactured.

A further object is to provide a closure fastener of the foregoing type, having a keeper of relatively high strength and rigidity and which, at the same time, is relatively light and has an over-all size no greater than conventional keepers of the same general 'type and is of such shape that it can be readily and inexpensively manufactured.

Another object is to provide a closure fastener of the foregoing type wherein the keeper-engaging memberis formed with a finger of such form that it is reinforced at the portion thereof where the greatest force is applied during operation, thereby to insure against deformation and breakage of the finger in use.

A further object is to provide a closure fastener of the foregoing type having a locking finger of reinforced form wherein the locking face extends throughout the entire length and width of the locking finger.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a closure fastener in which the operating bar serves to rigidify the door-frame assembly and wherein:

(a) the operating bar is axially loaded and serves as a door-frame support;

(b) keeper-engaging members transmit load to the op erating bar; Y

(c) the operating bar may be rotated to fasten the door and assume a load-support position;

(d) the operating bar is under compression relative to the door frame;

(e) the keeper-engaging members on each end of the operating bar positively engage keepers which are supported by the door frame, so that the operating bar serves as a door-frame brace;

(f) the keeper-engaging members have beveled surfaces mating with beveled surfaces on the keepers;

(g) the door which carries the operating bar need not rigidify the frame;

(h) the operating bar acts as a removable center door opening brace; and/or (i) the connect-ion between the operating bar and door need not be of great strength.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure fastener in which the operating bar serves to rigidify the door-frame assembly, cam ends are carried at each end of the operating bar, keepers are secured on opposite size of keeper and cam end;

3 sides of the door frame, mating inclined surfaces are provided on the keepers and cam ends, and wherein:

(a) the operating bar and cam ends in closed position of the door serve as a unitary support fitting between the keepers;

(b) the operating bar is held snugly between the keepers by engagement between the cam ends and keepers at points which transmit the load from the keepers to the operating bar, substantially axially of the operating bar;

the inclined surface on the upper and lower keepers transmits force downwardly and upwardly, respectively, and the operating bar is compressed therebetween;

(d) the inclined surfaces are held in positive non-sliding engagement by the action of the locking face of the cam ends on the keepers;

(e) the operating bar will be placed in compression between the keepers by frame deformation; and/ or (f)' the mating inclined surfaces come into engagement when the operating bar is-rotating through the final portion of its locking movement, both to place the locking bar in support position and to align the door in the frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure fastener that'meets each of the objects stated in the two immediately preceding paragraphs and which additionally provides:

(a) positive engagement of the cam ends with the keepers, both laterally to hold the door closed and vertically of the operating bar to prevent door-frame distortion; I

(b) maximum strength and rigidity for any particular (c) a keeper-engaging'member formed with a finger of such form that it is reinforced at the portion where greatest force is applied during operation from both compression in the bar and forces tending to open the door.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a door fastener, showing it in position on a door frame and door, a portion only of each of which is shown;

FIG. 2 is a view of a horizontal section taken through the door fastener of FIG. 1, just above the bottom keeper, the associated cam end being shown in its door-locking position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, only showing the cam end rotated out of door-locking position but still in the slot of the'bottom keeper;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, only showing the cam end in its position just leaving, or just entering, the bottom keeper;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the bottom keeper;

FIG. 6 is a view of a section taken along line 66 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the bottom cam end;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the bottom cam end;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the bottom cam end taken along section line 9-9 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the bottom cam end shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of a keeper which may be used with a cam end such as shown in FIGS. 1 to 10;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the keeper as viewed from the left of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of the keeper of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of a modified'door fastener showing inclined surfaces on the keepers and cam ends in engagement;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged detail view of the lower keeper, lower cam end, and lower end of the operating bar as shown in FIG. 14;

top and bottom keepers. bottom) cam end and its associated keeper for each emparallel and offset relation to the stem .35.

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of a bottom keeper similar to FIG. 11 but with an inclined surface;

FIG. 17 is a front elevational view of the keeper of FIG. 16; 3

FIG. 18 is a left-side elevational view of the keeper shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is an elevational view of a cam end having an inclined surface that is used with the keeper of FIGS. 16, 17, and 18; and

FIG. 20 is another elevational view of the cam end as viewed from the left of FIG. 19.

The first two sheets of the drawings and the portions of this specification relating to these two sheets of drawings or relating to the closure fasteners shown therein are repeated herein from my prior Patent No. 3,147,031 for Closure Fastener, in which the closure fastener of Sheets 1 and 2 of the drawings is claimed. The present application is specifically directed to. and claims closure fasteners wherein the keepers and cam ends engage each other, so that the operating bar serves as a support for the door frame, such as illustrated on Sheet 3 of the drawings.

In the illustrative embodiment a door 15 is hingedly mounted by suitable means (not shown) on a wall or door frame 16 for swinging movement into and out of position closing an opening 17 in the frame 16. In the devices shown in FIGS. 1 through 13 and FIGS. 16 through 20 the door is hinged at its right-hand side. Where the door is used in connection with a refrigerator structure, suitable packing means 18 preferablyis provided, which is compressed between the frame and the door when the latter is in closed and locked position.

Referring particularly now to FIG. 1, the closure fastener comprises generally an operating bar or shaft 20 rotatably mounted on the door 15 by bearing strips or guide plates 22 secured to the door and an intermediate. guide 22' also secured to the door, a pair of top and bottom keeper-engaging members or cam ends 23, 2 secured to the ends of the operating bar 2t and co-operating respectively with top and bottom keepers 25, 26 secured to the door frame 16 with which the door co-operates.

ing portion 32 of the operating handle 28 and hold it in door-locking position.

It will be understood that the top and bottom cam ends are formed as mirror images of each other, as are the Accordingly, only one (the bodiment will be described in detail, it being understood that the construction and operation of the top cam end and associated keeper are similar, except that such top members are mirror images of the corresponding bottom members and operate correspondingly.

The bottom cam end 24 of FIGS. 7-l0 includes a stem or shank 35 having a reduced upper end 36 preferably of square cross section adapted to be secured to an end of the operating bar or shaft 29. The latter is preferably formed from seamless steel pipe, and the reduced end 36 is inserted in the end of the pipe and secured thereto as by welding.

The bottom cam end 24 has a flange 3'7 formed integrally with the lower end of the stem 35, and a locking or cam finger 38 extends downwardly from'the flange in Referring now to FIGS. 7 through 10, the locking finger 38 has a flat locking face or surface 39 which extends parallel to the axis of the stem 35 and throughout the entire length and width of the locking finger 38, which face provides maximum bearing contact with the co operating surface of the keeper, when the cam end is in locking position as hereinafter explained. The cam finger 38 is so formed that the portion (which may be designated as the base portion) adjacent and integral with the flange 37, is of greater cross-sectional area than the portion (which may be designated as the free end portion) re mote from the flange 37. To this, end, the finger is of tapered form, being larger at its base than at its free end. In order to provide maximum strength and a locking surface of maximum area with a minimum Weight of the finger and at the same time to provide clearance for movement into and out of the keeper as'hereinafter explained, the finger is given the form shown.

The finger is of generally triangular form at its base and has, in addition to the locking face 39, side surfaces 40, and 41 which converge inwardly from the locking face 39. The above-mentioned taper of the finger is provided by a fourth surface 42 of triangular form located on the opposite side of the finger from the locking surface 39 and inclined downwardly and toward the free end of the finger. The surface of the finger at the free end is of trapezoidal form, and the finger at its free end is of sufficient cross-sectional area to provide the desired strength and rigidity.

The flange 37 is provided with a flat or face 43, for the purpose of aiding in alignment of the cam ends during assembly with the operating bar as hereinafter explained.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 6, the bottom keeper 26 includes a base portion or mounting flange 5% formed with openings 51 (see FIG. 2) therein adapted to receive rivets or bolts (not shown) for securing the keeper 26 to the door frame 16. Integral with the base 50 is a body portion 52 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) which has an inner or rear wall 53 and an outer or front wall 54 parallel to the inner wall and defining therewith a slot or guideway 55 having an open top and an open outer end adapted to receive the cam end 24 in a manner hereinafter described. The walls 53, 54 are inclined or disposed on a diagonal to the base portion 5 3, preferably at an angle of about 30, in order to permit entry of the cam finger 38, and the wall 54 provides locking engagement between the cam end and the keeper 26 when the cam end is in locking position in the slot, thereby to maintain the door or other closure member in locked position against the frame. The inclined or diagonal parallel walls 53, 54 provide means for forcing the door closed when the cam end is moved into the slot and rotated in one direction and for camming the door to open position when the cam end is in the slot and rotated in the opposite direction, as hereinafter explained.

In order to accommodate the novel cam end 24 and to permit rotary movement thereof in the slot 55, the inner wall 53 of the keeper 26 is of such form that a portion thereof is located at a greater distance from the outer wall 54 than the remainder, as seen particularly in FIG. 6 of the drawings, In the preferred embodiment of the invention, this is accomplished by forming the inner wall 53 with an offset ledge or step portion 53b joining lower and upper portions 53a and 530 of the inner wall. Thus, the inner Wall in effect includes the lower inclined portion 53a, which is parallel to and opposite to the front wall 54, a step portion 53b, which is perpendicular to the portion 53a and is of triangular form in horizontal aspect, and an upper portion 53b which is aligned with the base or flange 50. The step portion 53b which extends perpendicular to the other portions 53a, 53c serves to add rigidity to the lower rear wall portion 53a.

A bottom wall 60 is provided which is integral with the lower edges of thefront and rear walls 54, 53, and an inner end wall 61 is formed integrally with the front wall 54 and the base 50, thus, providing a rigid structure wherein the front and rear'walls '53 and 54 are rigidly maintained in spaced relation. The structure is further rigidified by the provision of a web 62 formed integrally with the upper edge of the outer wall 54, the end wall 61,

and the base 50. it will be understood that, while the upper portion 530 may be considered generally as a portion of the rear wall, such portion does not have any contact with the finger and consequently performs no guiding function in respect to the finger.

An opening 64 preferably is provided in the inner portion of the bottom wall 60 in order to permit the discharge of snow, ice, or water which may accumulate in the slot upon exposure of the keeper to the weather during use, so that the slot is not clogged and movement of the cam end into and out of the slot is not obstructed.

All of the portions of the keeper preferably are formed of substantially uniform thickness. Because of the provision of the various rigidifying portions as, for example, the ledge 53b, the end wall 61, and the web 62, the keeper has maximum strength and rigidity with minimum size and weight.

Both the keeper-engaging member and the keeper are of such form that they may be readily and inexpensively made by casting from suitable metal. Because of its strength and relative cheapness, I prefer to use steel, al-

though other materials may be used. Preferably, thev locking surface of the cam end is smoothed and evened, as by grinding.

The flats or faces 43'on the upper and lower cam ends respectively are utilized to align the cam ends when assembled with the operating bar or shaft 20. Such assembly may be conveniently effected by placing the cam ends on a fiat surface with the flats or faces 43 lying on such surface and with the cam ends in alignment and opposed re-,

lation and spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the length of the operating bar 20. The operating bar is then placed in position to receive the cam ends, and the latter are inserted in the two ends of the operating ba and welded thereto. In the operation of the closure fastener of my invention, the door 3'5 is swung toward closed position by manipulating the handle 28, the cam ends 23, 24 being thereby moved into position to enter the diagonal slots 55 in the respective keepers 25, 26, such as shown in FIG. 4. In this connection, it will be understood that the slot in each keeper is of greater wall-to-wall width than the maximum transverse dimension of the portion of the finger which enters the slot so as to permit movement of thefinger within the slot. The operating bar is then rotated (by manipulating the handle 28) in an appropriate direction (clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 4), thereby causing each finger to be rotated and moved into the slot into the position shown in FIG. 3. Still further rotation of the operating handle causes the edge 65 of the finger to engage the face of the outer wall 54 and exert a camming action thereagainst which draws the door inwardly against the frame.

The offset of the rear wall 53 of the keeper and the inclination of the face 42 of the cam end 24 are such that there is clearance between such face and the wall portion 53a, so that the finger can move into the seat without interference.

of the wall 54, the door is held tightly against the frame,

and any packing or sealing members (such as the member- 18) which are provided between the door and frame are tightly compressed, so that the door is held in tightly sealed condition. Moreover, the flat face-to-face engagement between the keeper-engaging members and the keeper prevents creeping of such members along the guide slot of the keeper.

After the door has been moved into closed position and the keeper-engaging members moved to locked position, the handle 23 may be engaged with the seal plate 31 in the usual manner in order to retain the handle in locked position.

, The door is opened by releasing the handle 23 from the seal plate 31 and then manipulating the handle 28 to rock the operating bar 213 in the appropriate direction (counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2). During such movement, the cam end is rocked and rotated outwardly from the position shown in FIG. 2, through the position shown in FIG. 3, to the position of FIG. 4, Whereafter the finger moves out of the slot 55. ()rdinarily, and especially where there are seating or packing members between the door and door frame, the door is urged outwardly against the cam fingers. Thus, during the opening movement of the cam ends, the fingers bear against the front wall of the keeper and rock and slide in a direction reverse to that during the closing movement. However, in certain cases, as where the door sticks to the door frame or packing, or where the hinges operate with difiiculty, as where they are rusty, it may be necessary that a caniming action be exerted between the keeper and the finger edge 66.

A second form of keeper is illustrated in FIGS. 1113, to which reference is now made. The keeper of FIGS. 11-13 is adapted to co-operate with a keeper-engaging member similar to the member shown in FIGS. 1-10, as described above, and reference may be had to such figures and to the corresponding description for a disclosure of such member.

The keeper 1%, as illustrated, may be used either as a bottom keeper for a door hinged on the left side or a top keeper for a door hinged on the right side. The co-operating keeper (not shown), of course, will be formed as a mirror image of the keeper 1% and will be disposed in opposed relation in a manner similar to the relation of the keepers 25, 26, shown in FIG. 1, for co-operation with the operating bar and keeper-engaging members (not shown).

The keeper 1% is generally similar in form to the keeper 26 and has a mounting flange 1M, inner and outer walls 102 and 103 defining a slot 104, a wall 195 at the inner end of the slot and a floor 196. In this form of the invention, the front and rear walls 103 and 1% are of equal height and spacing, except at a limited portion of the rear wall, as hereinafter explained.

An end wall 107 extends from the mounting flange to the outer edge of the inner wall 192, and a top or reinforcing wall 108 is integral with the mounting flange 101, the

end wall 167, and the inner wall 102.

In order to accommodate the enlarged base end of the locking finger, such as the finger 38 shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the face of the inner wall 102 is provided with a generally conical recess or indentation 110 disposed in the upper portion of the rear Wall approximately midway between the inner and outer ends of the wall face and of such dimension and location as to permit the cam end to be rotated and slid within the slot during its movement into and out of locking position.

The inclination of the conical surface 110 relative to the face of the rear wall 102 corresponds generally with the inclination of the face 12 of the cam endto provide clearance, so that the cam finger can move along the slot 11M without interference.

The operation of the form of invention illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 13 is generally similar to that of the first form and described above, and it is believed unnecessary to repeat the detailed description of the operation in this connection but that the operation will be understood from the foregoing description.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the present invention provides a novel closure fastener construction .wherein the cam end has increased strength over prior cam ends by reason of the fact that the finger of the cam end of the present invention has an enlarged section at its base end adjacent the flange, thus strengthening the cam end at the portion where the greatest stress occurs and breakage is most likely. On the other hand, the tapered construction of the finger provides a finger of normal cross-sectional size, at its outer-end portion, so that the slot need not be any larger than in prior art devices. The formation of the slot, with the portion of the inner wall being located at a greater distance from the outer wall than the remaining portion of the slot, accommodates the enlarged base end of the finger, so that the finger can rotate and slide freely in the slot.

The cam finger is of such form that the flat locking or bearing surface extends throughout the entire width and length of the finger, providing maximum bearing effect and resistance to wear. The edge of the finger, which engages the outer wall of the slot and against which a maximum bearing force is exerted, extends throughout the entire length of the finger and thus provides a cam edge of full length. On the other hand, since the edge of the finger which engages the inner wall of the keeper is engaged only during opening action and the pressure is lower, the inner wall, even though of reduced height or recessed at a portion thereof, provides suiiicient bearing against the edge of the cam finger, and it is not necessary that such bearing extend throughout the entire length of the finger.

The forming of the finger with a larger cross-sectional area at the base end provides a finger of increased rigidity which insures that the locking or pressure-contact surface of the finger is maintained parallel to the axis of rotation of the cam end. This stability also reduces the tendency of any distortion occurring in the keeper.

The keeper is of relatively light, thin, wall construction, but, by reason of the wall arrangement which provides rigidity for the several portions of the keeper, and particularly the walls defining the slot, the slot-defining Walls are maintained rigidly in predetermined, fixed positions, and there is no distortion of the keeper during use and, particularly, during the locking movement of the keeper-engaging member or while the latter is in locked position.

The keeper is of such shape that it can be formed readily and inexpensively by a casting operation, and no machining operations are required. Likewise, the keeper-engaging member can be formed by simple and inexpensive casting operation without any machine operations, although, as stated above, it may be preferable in some cases to smooth 011 the locking face, as by grinding.

OPERATING BAR AS FRAME SUPPORT (FIGS. 14 through 20) In refrigerator-car and other transportation closures that have been reduced in weight by use of lightweight framing and materials and that are subject to rough use, the problem of providing a proper'door closure has become a diflicult matter. Since the emphasis is on less weight, the door proper may not be used to give added support to the frame, as the door also must be of light material. Even if heavier doors could be used, if the door is to give support to the frame, the fit of the heavy door in the frame is critical, and such close fits cannot be maintained after the equipment is used to any extent.

The closure apparatus shown in FIGS. 14 through 20 of the drawings is so constructed and arranged that the operating bar serves as a support for the door frame. In FIGS. 14 through 20, parts corresponding to those shown in the other figures are similarly numbered, but with a prime mark added to all parts that are of modified construction. The operation of the closure fasteners of FIGS. 14 through 20 is the same as previously described, except as hereinafter explained. Thus, it will be seen in FIGS. 14 and 15 that an operating bar 20 is rotatably supported on door 15 by hearing strips 22 for rotation by handle 28. At the upper and lower ends of bar 20 are cam ends 23 and 24 which hold the door closed in open- ,fingers 33 into the slots.

ing 17 by respective engagement with upper and lower keepers 100', both carried by frame 16. The door is held closed by engagement of locking faces 39 on the cam ends with front walls 103- of the keepers. As previously described, the cam finger 38 is provided with its greatest crossasec-tional area at the area where the greatest breaking stress occurs, and the inner wall of each keeper has a portion located at a greater distance from the outer wall than the remaining portion of the rear wall to accommodate the enlarged base end of the cam finger. In addition to this construction and arrangement, the keepers and cam ends are so constructed and center axis of the stem to where surface-112 intersects side surface 41 of finger 38.

As best seen in ,FIG. 20, a substantial portion of the surface 112, indicated at 1 14, is inclined relative to a horizontal, plane. The inclined surface 114 is located on the opposite side of stem 35' from locking face 39 and the inclined surface 114 extends upwardly from a low edge 116 to its highest edge118.

It is important to note from the foregoing that inclined surface 114. is disposed throughout a large part of its area beneath stem 35. In other words, the inclined surface 1'14 has substantial porti-ons'that are not offset from stem 35'.

In FIGS. 16, 17, and 18, a keeper 100' is shown similar to that of FIGS. 11 through13, except that the top wall 108 of the keeper 100' is inclined to provide an inclined surface 120. This inclined surface extends from a low edge 122 at the intersection of top wall 108' with inner wall 102 of slot 104 to a high edge 124 at the rear of the keeper 100. It will be noted that inclined surface 120 is disposed adjacent recess 110.

The inclined surfaces 114 and 120 have thus far been described for a lower cam end lower keeper, so that surface 114 faces downwardly and surface 120 faces up wardly. It must be appreciated that the upper keeper and cam end are mirror images of the lower parts and are positioned with the inclined surface 114 facing upwardly and inclined surface 120 facing downwardly and the edges 116, 118, 122, and 124 are reversed as to high and low edges. Thus the keeper and cam end shown in FIGS. 16 through 20 can serve as the lower members for a door opening about a hinge on its right side, or serve as upper members for a door opening about a hinge on its left side, such as that illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15.

The operation of the closure fastener shown in FIGS. 14 through 20 is such that, as the doorswings toward closed position, cam ends 23' and 24' approach and enter the slots 104 in the keepers 100, As the operating bar is rotated, the cam ends 23', 24' rotate to move the Further rotation causes the edges 65 of the fingers to engage the faces of the outer walls 103 and exert force thereagain'st, which draws the door closed. Fingers 38 can clear through the slots during rotation because of recesses 110. Final rotation moves the fingers until locking surfaces 39 are in locking engagement flat against the inner faces of front walls 103.

Since inclined surfaces 114 are on approximately the opposite side of the cam end, remote from locking faces 39, while edges 65 engage front walls 103, in'clined'surfaces 1114 move into registry with the mating inclined surfaces 120 on the keepers. Since the surfaces 114 and 120 at each end of the closure fastener incline in the same direction, if the door and opening are perfectly aligned, the inclined surfaces on the cam ends will pass across,

but out of contact with, the inclined surfaces on the keepers. The keepers are so spaced apart in original installation that the cam ends can be rotated almost to completely closed position before the mating inclined surfaces engage, and theengagement occurs during the last movement of the cam ends to place the operating bar 20 under slight compression.

However, in practice there is normally some distortion in the frame, and this is particularly true for lightweight framing, such as previously referred to. Also, the door may be distorted, sagging, or bent, and this is particularly true of lightweight doors, such as are now in use. If the frame is somewhat out of alignment or the door is distorted, one or the other or both of the mating surfaces, one being at the top and the other at the bottom of the closure, will come into engagement earlierin the locking rotation. movement of the cam ends, Assuming that the lower mating faces engage first, due to door sagging or frame distortion, continued rotation of the lower cam end 24' raises the operating bar and door secured thereto, so that, at final locking rotaof the cam ends, bothtop and bottom mating faces will again engage with the operating bar therebetween. As-

suming that with the door open the top and bottom frame members have moved closer together, both top and bottom mating inclined surfaces will engage to urge the frames apart, and the operating bar in locking position serves as a rigid support between the keepers. There are other obvious conditions under which the mating inclined surfaces will compensate for distortion. Due to the same inclination of the'top or bottom pairs of mating faces, when one engages the other, they will slide relatively easily, and ample force to effect such sliding can be exerted by the handle on the operating bar 20.

An important feature of the invention is that, when the closure fastener is in door-locking position, the operating bar serves as a support between the top and bottom frame members. In door-locking position, as seen in FIG. 14, upper keeper is secured to the upper frame,

the upper keeperand cam end engage at their mating inclined surfaces, lower keeper 100 is secured to the lower frame, and the lower keeper and cam end engage at their mating inclined surfaces. Thus, operating bar 20 serves as a rigid support bar held between the keepers. This not only prevents the door from Weaving in the opening when it is on a vehicle in motion, but provides a rigid support member between the upper and lower frame. When, as is usually the case, the closure fastener is disposed at the center of a door opening, the operating bar serves as a center support for the door opening, which is normally the weakest part of the door frame.

7 As previously noted, the inclined surfaces 114 on the cam ends are in alignment with the operating bar and, therefore, no eccentricity of loading results. In other words, the load or supporting force from the keeper is transmitted to the cam end and hence to the operating bar in a path along the axis of the operating bar or at least Within the cross-sectional area of the operating bar. If the load were transmitted from the keeper at a point spaced from the operating bar axis, or outside the crosssectional area of the operating bar, eccentric forces would be developed, tending to shear the cam end finger or shear the flange 37' and its associated inclined surface 114.

Since the area of longitudinal contact between the keepers and cam ends is inclined in the direction as shown, any force generated will push the flat locking faces 39 of the cam ends into tight locking engagement with the keepers, and there is no tendency from such loadings to cause the doors to open.

Since the mating surfaces on the keepers and cam ends are necessarily inclined, the force exerted on the cam ends by the operating bar will have both a vertical force component and a horizontal force component. The vertical force component, will be taken up as compressive stress by the operating bar, and the horizontal force com- 1.1 ponent will be taken up by the keepers through engagement with the locking faces of the cam ends. This horizontal force component produces added shear stress on the fingers 38, particularly at the section adjacent flanges 37. Thus, the reinforcing of the finger in the manner shown, so as to keep the size of the keepers and cam ends reasonable, is of substantial importance.

By having the operating bar serve as a rigid support between the frame members,the door need not be of a novel closure fastener, and it should be appreciated that .various changes may be made in the form of the device shown without departing from the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is: 1. A keeper-engaging member for a closure fastener comprising a stem portion, a flange on said stem extending substantially transversely of the stem, a finger extending from said flange generally parallel to the axis of said stem and offset therefrom, a first keeper-engaging surface on said finger extending parallel to the axis of said stem, and

a second keeper-engaging surface comprising a surface on said flange that extends substantially transversely of the stern axis and is inclined relative to a plane transversely 12 of the stem axis said inclined surface being substantially axially aligned in part with the axis of said stem.

2. Thekeeper-engaging member of claim 1 wherein said second keeper-engaging surface is disposed substantially on the opposite side of the axis of said stem from said finger. I

3. The keeper-engaging member of claim 1 wherein said finger is of greater cross-sectional area at the portion adjacent said flange than at the portion remote from said flange.

4. The keeper-engaging member of claim 1 wherein said finger is of greater cross-sectional area at the portion adjacent said flange than at the portion remote from said flange, said second keeper-engaging surface is disposed on substantially the opposite side of the axis of said stem from said finger, and said second keeper-engaging surface vhas a portion aligned Within part of the cross-sectional area of said stern.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner. JOSEPH D. SEERS, Examiner. 

1. A KEEPER-ENGAGING MEMBER FOR A CLOSURE FASTENER COMPRISING A STEM PORTION, A FLANGE ON SAID STEM EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY OF THE STEM, A FINGER EXTENDING FROM SAID FLANGE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID STEM AND OFFSET THEREFROM, A FIRST KEEPER-ENGAGING SURFACE ON SAID FINGER EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID STEM, AND A SECOND KEEPER-ENGAGING SURFACE COMPRISING A SURFACE ON SAID FLANGE THAT EXTENDS SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY OF THE STEM AXIS AND IS INCLINED RELATIVE TO A PLANE TRANSVERSELY OF THE STEM AXIS SAID INCLINED SURFACE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY AXIALLY ALIGNED IN PART WITH THE AXIS OF SAID STEM. 